Still looking like cantaloupe… no rain in a few weeks now… still growing fast.
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Looking good, I found out I have a cantaloupe and a watermelon from my compost too. This is the area I plant my peonies.
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Well my first cantaloupe fruit… some pest bored a hole in from the bottom and spoiled it. Lost #1.
Which brought about the invention above… the cantaloupe lifter 
Made several of those from a old tomato cage.
I figure that if I can get them up off the raw compost… they have a much better chance of ripening before some pest finds them.
That is how it works…
Lots of melons setting…
Massive cantaloupe vine… taking over the pile.
And if you noticed… yes there are a couple okra plants growing in my compost pile. I planted them there. Making use of the space…
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Good Idea , and so simple
I saw people trellis melon straight up , and up high for saving room with melon in woman stocking (or netting)
related I am about to scatter Pepper down to grow rhubarb (just dug up today)
You think a pepper covered woman’s stocking would deter
if running low on those
(I may even use a wire mesh squirrels dug even a pawpaw tree up here ) (Rhubarbs sentimental )
(now I could secure wire to my Tomato cage (thanks)
early for a ripe hubbard
I used to bag my melons when they started to size up
Yeah, stem was separated though.
By the way I never see Rhubarb with holes in leaves
The dumped grass clippings on them
Leaves where barely visible
I am glad the New Neighbor gave me permission to dig them.
I have a black sealed compost even with all the heat a cucumber/melon family member grew out of there one year.
(I am guessing Chayote by size (or maybe Chilacayote squash )
What is interesting is A decomposer rollie pollie (pill bug) are related to Lobster they cannot survive or breath without being in the damp
(random quote)
Roly-polies are terrestrial crustaceans and the only crustaceans that have adapted to living entirely on land, according to the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment(Opens in a new window). They breathe through gills like other crustaceans, but their gills must remain moist even on land .
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I bought cheap clay pots from the 99c store here and rest my melons in them, so far so good. I’ve harvested more melons here than I ever in the past years.
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My volunteer melons, I hope to get a watermelon from this bed, but not likely, although the vines look healthy.
And maybe a watermelon here.
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Looking promising… still firm… good color… read that cantaloupe will soften up a bit on the end opposite the stem when ripe.
Has not done that yet… should not be long now.
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That color sure looks ripe - how’s the smell test?
Well another season… and another potentially nice volunteer in my compost pile.
What is it ?
At first I was thinking squash… but now the blossoms that are developing … possibly pumpkin ?
What do you think ?
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I did put 3 pumpkins in the pile last fall early November. My kids are in their 20s but still carve jack-o-lanterns.
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